Family Friendly Christmas Children’s Books – Ages 2 to 8

Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

To inspire you and your little ones into the Holiday mood, I’ve curated a list of Christmas-themed books for ages 2 to 8! These selections are simple and festive, while remaining relatively short and sweet for the younger audience.

If you’re looking for a list of family friendly Christmas children’s books for children under 5 years of age, I’ve created a list for that too! You can find that list here.

If you have a favorite Christmas book for children ages 2 to 8 that you do not see here, please let me know! I would love to add it to this list!

Family Friendly Halloween Children’s Books – Ages 2 to 8

Welcome to the boo-tiful month of October my friends!

To inspire you and your little ones into the Halloween mood, I’ve curated a list of Halloween-themed books for ages 2 to 8! These selections are festive, without frights or scares that could upset a younger audience.

If you’re looking for a list of family friendly halloween children’s books for children under 5 years of age, I’ve created a list for that too! You can find that list here.

If you have a favorite Halloween book for children ages 2 to 8 that you do not see here, please let me know! I would love to add it to this list!

DIY – Disney VHS Bookmark

Welcome back friends! Do you still have a VCR? Not many people have VCRs anymore. We do, although we don’t really use it anymore.

If you don’t have a VCR anymore, what should you do with all your old VHS, including all those Disney films you grew up with? You could collect them, donate them, or recycle them. But wait! If you decide to recycle them, let’s remove the spines and use them to create bookmarks! 

I’ve also used the beautiful Disney cover art to make drink coasters you can find here!

Let’s get started!

SUPPLIES
  • Disney VHS cover art
  • Guillotine paper trimmer
  • Plastic ruler
  • Self adhesive clear laminating sheets
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove the cover art from the VHS cases.
  2. Use a guillotine paper trimmer to cut the spine from the cover art in straight, smooth edges
  3. Make sure the spines and surface you’ll be working on are clean and free of lint, then place a laminate page on your working surface with the adhesive side face-up.
  4. Peel back about an inch and a half of the release liner and place the spines (artwork side down) on the adhesive, leaving about a half inch above the spine for sealing and trimming.
  5. Turn the laminate page over and use a plastic ruler to smooth the laminate onto the artwork, removing any air bubbles. 
  6. Gently peel back the release liner about an inch at a time, using the ruler to smooth the laminate all the way down until the artwork is completely adhered. Leave the release paper attached at the bottom for now and flip the page back over (the artwork facing down again).
  7. Take another laminate page and peel back about an inch and half worth of the release liner, then align the top of this page (adhesive side down) with the top of the first page (adhesive side up).
    • Pull the release liner from the first page up to meet the new release liner between the two laminate pages, this will keep the pages from sticking to to the wrong places while you work.
  8. Using the plastic ruler, smooth the laminate all the way down (peeling both release liners back together a little at a time) until the bookmarks are completely laminated between the two pages.
  9. Allow for a little space so the laminate remains sealed (but less conspicuous), use the guillotine trimmer to trim down the bookmark edges.
  10. Place in the books you’re reading, and enjoy!

Family Friendly Christmas Children’s Books – Ages 5 and Under

Family Friendly Christmas Children's Books - Ages 0 to 5

Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

To inspire you and your little ones into the Holiday mood, I’ve curated a list of Christmas-themed books for ages five and under! These selections are simple and festive, while remaining short and sweet for the younger audience.

There are a handful of books on this list with a reading age that start under the age of five and peak at the age of 7 or 8.

If you have a favorite Children’s book for children ages 5 and under that you do not see here, please let me know! I would love to add it to this list!

Family Friendly Halloween Children’s Books – Ages 5 and Under

Family Friendly Halloween Books

Welcome to the boo-tiful month of October my friends!

To inspire you and your little ones into the Halloween mood, I’ve curated a list of Halloween-themed books for ages five and under! These selections are festive, without frights or scares that could upset a younger audience.

There are a handful of books on this list with a reading age that start under the age of five and peak at the age of 7 or 8.

If you have a favorite Halloween book for children ages 5 and under that you do not see here, please let me know! I would love to add it to this list!

A Classic Berenstain Bears Bibliography

Berenstain Bear Classics Bibliography List

The Berenstain Bear Classics, originally classified as the Berenstain Bear First Time Books, are staple series of my childhood.

I fondly remember my mom reading this series to me. Each story taught life lessons and felt so relatable. But the artwork? I loved the artwork and I still do! It’s very unique, warm and welcoming.

I realize now as I research this that as much as I loved the books I knew, there are so many more I’ve never had the pleasure of reading! I am starting to collect these Berenstain Bear books to read to my daughter, so I’ve created this one-page handy dandy bibliography to keep track as I go! Please feel free to use it too if you need it!

Please feel welcome to check out the other bibliography lists I’ve compiled!

The Benefits of Reading to Children

Stack of Children's BooksZoey’s Bedtime Story is a nighttime ritual I started last year, and this year, the adventure continues! I made a New Year’s resolution to read to Zoey every night this year and we have yet to miss a day!

Reading has always been very special to me. I remember my mom reading to me as a child and I believe it had a profound impact on my love for reading and books, not to mention my performance in school. I want to continue that tradition with Zoey. I want her to hear my voice, hear the diction and the pronunciation, see the beautiful images and eventually enjoy the stories. I imagine her sitting in my lap or lying cozy in her bed while I sit next to her and read, her eyes on the book with rapt attention. In reality, she sits on my lap for about five to ten seconds then tootles all over the room while I keep reading and trying to pull her attention back. I keep going because I know tat the more we read, the more she’ll settle in and pay attention.

There are many benefits of reading to children, no matter their age!

  • Increased attention span
  • Bonding between parent/guardian and child
  • Cognitive and language development
  • Creativity
  • Expanded vocabulary
  • Life lessons
  • Listening skills
  • Social and emotional development

So if you haven’t started reading to your little one(s) it’s not too late to start today! And if you’ve started reading to your little one(s) and their attention is anywhere but on you and the book don’t give up! Consistency is the key!

Please come follow along on my Instagram where I post which book we’re reading each night in my story, and every book I’ve read to her has been saved to the highlights on my profile.

I’ve started a Pinterest Board of all the books I would like to read to Zoey or share with her someday. Check it out to get inspired and please let me know if there are any children books you would recommend; we love sharing stories!

A Bill Peet Children’s Book Bibliography

Bill Peet Bibliography

One of my favorite children’s authors is (you guessed it) Bill Peet!

I remember my mom and I would make frequent trips to the library throughout my childhood and I would always borrow as many Bill Peet books as I could find each time. Every story is entertaining and has a good moral, but most of all I love the art!

I am starting to collect Bill Peet books to read to my daughter, so I’ve created this one-page handy dandy bibliography to keep track as I go! Please feel free to use it too if you need it! We currently own Chester the Worldly Pig and Kermit the Hermit, but I’m always keeping a look out for more!

What’s your favorite Bill Peet book? It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but I believe mine is The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg.

A Stephen King Bibliography of Fictional Works

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite authors, Stephen King! Happy birthday Mr. King!

Once upon a time, I attempted to read all of his books in one year, and failed spectacularly, completing only nine. Something I’ve learned on this journey? Stephen King creates heavy subject matter. From his longest novel to his shortest story, his content can be deeply disturbing or incredibly touching. I continue to make steady progress, and someday soon I will complete them all, but I need a little time after each book to digest what I’ve read.

! Please note, I recommend Stephen King’s books for adults. I would not recommend reading his books to children !

Here is a complete list of Stephen King’s fictional novels, organized in chronological order by earliest publication to the most recent. If my research is correct, he has published 68 complete fictional novels to date, including 12 collections that range from 4 to 24 stories each. I’ve marked the ones I’ve read with an asterisk *.

Stephen King Bibliography of Fictional Works

Have you read any Stephen King novels? What’s your favorite? I have now read 25 of his books, and The Shining is still my favorite!

Happy Birthday Stephen King!

stephen-kingToday one of my favorite authors, Stephen King, turns 69 and I’d like to celebrate this birthday and the next by attempting to read all of his fictional novels within a year!

If my research is correct, I believe this is about 66 books including the 11 collections, and each collection ranges between 4 to 24 stories.

Can this be done? Has anyone done this before?

I could feel daunted by the sheer number of books and their length, but one of the things I love about Stephen King is the flow of his work and how easy it is to become completely invested in the story. I really couldn’t help myself and already began reading on September 1st, thusfar I’ve finished Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot and  The Shining. I’m feeling really positive about finishing before his next birthday!

  • Carrie
  • ‘Salem’s Lot
  • The Shining
  • The Stand
  • The Dead Zone
  • Firestarter
  • Cujo
  • The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
  • Christine
  • Pet Sematary
  • Cycle of the Werewolf
  • The Talisman Written with Peter Straub;
  • Thinner Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
  • It
  • The Eyes of the Dragon
  • The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
  • Misery
  • The Tommyknockers
  • The Dark Half
  • The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
  • Needful Things
  • Gerald’s Game
  • Dolores Claiborne
  • Insomnia
  • Rose Madder
  • The Green Mile
  • Desperation
  • The Regulators Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
  • The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
  • Bag of Bones
  • The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
  • Dreamcatcher
  • Black House Sequel to The Talisman;Written with Peter Straub
  • From a Buick 8
  • The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
  • The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
  • The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower Grant
  • The Colorado Kid
  • Cell
  • Lisey’s Story
  • Blaze Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
  • Duma Key
  • Under the Dome
  • 11/22/63
  • The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
  • Joyland
  • Doctor Sleep
  • Mr. Mercedes
  • Revival
  • Finders Keepers Second novel in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.
  • End of Watch Third novel in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.

Collections

  • Night Shift
  • Different Seasons
  • Skeleton Crew
  • The Bachman Books (Rage, Long Walk, Roadwork, Running Man)
  • Four Past Midnight
  • Nightmares & Dreamscapes
  • Hearts in Atlantis
  • Everything’s Eventual
  • Just After Sunset
  • Full Dark, No Stars
  • The Bazaar of Bad Dreams